Sunday Q & A. Should you fill the tank? 

Appreciate your comment but a brand new Merc shouldn't need a new seal in the fuel tank lock.

Amazon flex and other car based delivery services require you to have good in transit insurance and the reputable companies will require proof of insurance before allowing you to work

In regards of the insurance as I have done it myself on behalf of Deliveroo, Hermies and Amazon flex. Goods in Transit insurance not required on food items. You need a top up insurance to cover business use on your vehicle which you can have it as a full time add on or as I prefer, a pay as you go add on which costs in my case £1.20 per hour while logged into the app. The big firms cover the public liability while on duty for that particular firm. They also have insurance in place for you as the driver if you hurt yourself such as slipping on ice while walking to deliver and item to a customer and breaking a leg. They will pay you sick pay and some compensation. However, I not hurt myself in that way so never tried it. Also, in the case of parcels. The goods in transit insurace is covered by the firm you are driving on behalf of at the time when you are logged into their app. Hence you have to give all your car details over to the big firms before they allow you to work. All the driver is responsible for is their standard insurance which is a legal requirement at all times and the business cover add. Every other insurance is supplied by the company while logged into their app

Having 3 or4 fuel cards is counter intuitive, the time you spend watching prices, waiting for the new price to come in vs the fraction on a pence saving. Not to mention the time you spend on it. I have x2 cards 1 x keyfuels and 1 x uk fuels

With some accounts, such as Monzo. If you pay at pump it only takes what you put in. The ring fence the £100 maximum or if you dont have £100 in the account, then it takes what you have in that account only, then if you dont put in the whole amount that you have in that account, you get the remainder back usually within 10 minutes. Failing that, if you dont have £100 in the bank or you do and only want to put £30 in the tank cos you need that other £70 straight away for something else immediately. Dont use the pay at the pump. Use the cash machine and pay with cash

As for recovery All drivers now can't go outside certain radius of base as if do go into tachograph territory Back in the day I knew a driver that had transit recovery truck and light car one way and motorcycle return He did 35 hours straight driving with few breaks for nap But he didn't have owners with him

Bond ? Theres airside and landside . Airside is the part you get to at an airport where you have gone through the metal detector AFTER passport control . Its the secure part that means you have been checked and can approach an aircraft . Landside is everywhere else in the country . Some items sent into the country are bonded . This means the container they are in is classed as airside and they are secured via metal tags or security stickers . You see them on the back of trucks and vans , the goods inside are considered airside while the seal is in place meaning an item can be carried from one area to the other without the hassle of lots of paperwork , going through customs once more and running everything through an xray , taking samples , paying tax and whatnot . Be warned carrying bonded items means you may not be able to stop at all , you have to travel an approved route only which is monitored via gps , you have to call in , lots of lovely paperwork before being given the work and no end of hassle both ends . Ireland has the open border sooooo that created a need for this system . A bonded container from NI can be driven into England without the need to trouble customs as its been checked prior and is bonded . Emails with the numbers have been sent prior , its moments to check everything is in order at the border . Bond also works another way . There are warehouses around that are bonded . Here we have a few . When inside the warehouse you are landside . It requires nothing more than the company ID to be in the building . However the bays open out to airside without customs , security or any barrier whatsoever . The step down to airside is only 18 inch and you are simply on the apron 30 foot away from planes . This is monitored like you wouldnt believe . 30 seconds from a toe touching tarmac a couple of very unfriendly cops show up , you just made their day as they get to wave a gun around and cuff you up . Once a year some daft sod falls off the end of the bay , looks a little puzzled for a minute then 10 cars all blue lit show up , face down and bracelets , never to be seen again . As a courier you can have items released from bond for you to collect . You show up with ID and the appropriate paperwork and after an hour will be given the items . Paperwork is beyond important . It shows tax has been paid and the items are legal . If anyone gets a bonded collection expect to be messed around for around 2 hours . If the warehouse is airside its 5 years checkable work and home history weeks prior to getting a visitors pass . 2 proofs of id and endless hassle getting in and when you do its then under convoy with you tailing security who wont leave you alone even for a moment .... lots of sit in the truck until called joy . 3 parter to read this lot out 🙂

Amazon requires you to have insurance for business, they offer this via the app. Ps you missed my question on last Sundays q@a 😢

Bonded is to do with VAT that's all. So goods could be held in this country and not subject to vat.

Sunderland to Plymouth and back in a car which is legal. In a van it is illegal. Even though there is no tachograph on a van. you still come under domestic driving rules if you drive more than 4 hours in a day which you are limited to 10 hours in a 24 hour period if driving for work purposes. if in a hire van and not work purposes. Then its legal

Longest I have driven in one go is 15 hours John o groats to lands end in a car I was taxi driver at time

I think the bonded means it's in some kind of no man's land or limbo before customs not sure or is it bound not to leave the warehouse in that country unless taxes are payed longest drive London to Pisa Italy 21 hours carrying building props joking aside it was knackering but really nice drive I really like driving so no destination to far

At the airport they helped themselves to some jet fuel .... They pulled up onto the perimeter road and run a hose to the fuel farm which must have been around 200+ foot long ! . Hole in the fence and bye bye im not sure how many hundred litres . Now this is patrolled by ops , security and armed cops ...... even a couple of vans who come past every 10 minutes to fine those daft enough to stop in the middle of nowhere to drop people off , endless amounts of cameras and of course the public is coming and going . It just goes to show its a losing fight against them .

Insurance ... Ok the big argument ...... the postal service can and will use their own cars to get to an area and then start delivering without a business policy . It is argued they are using the car to `get` to work but not `for` work on the grounds doesnt everyone use a car to get to work ? .... and isnt the work to WALK around delivering ? .... shady gray areas So some will insure properly , others do not , others get covered by the company they work for on the company policy ..... its yodel or hermies/evri ( i forget which ) who do this .